STORRS — Somewhere along the line, Omar Calhoun found himself a bit lost. The UConn freshman guard might be finding his way back.

Maybe.

A four-game stretch during which Calhoun averaged 14.3 points gave the Huskies hope that all the hype was coming to fruition. They were aware of the usual freshman issues, but they didn't expect that stretch to turn into two games during which Calhoun scored a total of nine points. Calhoun shot 1-of-11 from the field during those two games.

And then came Monday night vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore, when Calhoun hit eight of his 11 shots and scored a career-best 22 points.

"The (exam) break time was crucial for me," Calhoun said. "I got myself in the gym and worked on the little parts of my game to get back on track the right way. I was struggling. I wasn't feeling like myself on the court.

"I needed to pick it up. I feel like I'm starting to get back on track now. I should start progressing from here."

Calhoun's chance at a follow-up comes tonight when the Huskies (8-2) welcome Fordham (2-8) to the XL Center for the final game before some time off for the Christmas holiday. After that, it's a Dec. 29 visit from Washington before the Huskies begin Big East play.

Once Jan. 1 hits, the Huskies are playing nothing but Big East games. They will need a consistent Calhoun then. They will need the confident New Yorker to do what so many New York-bred Huskies have done before him. UConn doesn't need Calhoun to take over, but it certainly would like some of that New York swagger to make an appearance and stay.

"It's important for him to understand that if he can't score, he has to do something else," point guard Shabazz Napier said. "That's what we're trying to get him to understand. It's kind of hard because he's from New York. New York, as it is, everybody thinks they're better

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than everybody, so it's kind of tough. We want him to score.

"He did a good job coming off screens and shooting shots (Monday night), which is good for us because when we head into the Big East we need to have more scorers than what we have."

Napier took a playful shot at Calhoun for a reason. Ten games is not a good representative sample of what Calhoun has done, but there is at least some evidence that Calhoun tends to slide into the background if he's not scoring. He gets some rebounds, but his defense needs work and he needs to find ways to insert himself into the offense when he's having a difficult night.

These are all things that come along with being a freshman. But coach Kevin Ollie isn't going to let Calhoun use the freshman thing as an excuse, especially given that Calhoun is not built like a typical freshman. He stands 6-foot-5 and is a solid block of 195 pounds.

Calhoun isn't getting pushed around. Instead, he needs to do more pushing around. He took a step toward doing that Monday night. Ollie wants the steps forward to continue.

"We have to do a better job of getting him open," Ollie said. "The point guard has to get him the ball and he has to move. Get offensive rebounds, like he's starting to do, find his different places where he can score. Our offense is not a box-you-in offense. You have chances to create and make plays for yourself. It's not like I have to call a play for you every time.

"We need him to score. We need him to be a good basketball player for us to win because we don't have a lot of margin for error. We don't have room for it."

Calhoun knows that. It's why he has spent so much extra time working on his game. Now he expects the dividends to become evident.

"I analyzed every part of my game," Calhoun said. "I'm trying to come to as close to perfection as I can in each point of my game."

When: 7 p.m.

Where: XL Center, Hartford

TV, Radio: SNY, WTIC-AM (1080)

Records: UConn 8-2; Fordham 2-8

Series: UConn leads, 11-10. The teams played with some regularity from 1954-80 but haven't played since UConn took a 94-75 victory Dec. 12, 1999 at Gampel Pavilion.

Worth noting: Fordham is 162-270 all-time against Big East schools, including losses to Pittsburgh and St. John's earlier this year ... The teams have played one common opponent in Harvard. UConn beat the Crimson while Fordham lost at Harvard ... The Rams have played just one home game, losing to Manhattan ... UConn guard Shabazz Napier and Fordham forward Chris Gaston met during the summer while trying out for the Puerto Rico national team. Napier had to leave the tryouts because of a foot injury ... Gaston averages 12.5 points and 7.8 rebounds for Fordham. He recently returned after missing six games with a slight knee problem ... The Huskies play the second of three straight games at the XL Center ... UConn guard R.J. Evans, who sat out Monday night because of the shoulder injury he sustained, is expected to play tonight. He was held out Monday night for precautionary reasons ... UConn's 66 percent shooting performance Monday night was the fourth-highest since records for such were first kept in 1980 ... Following the game, the Huskies will disperse to go home for a couple of days for Christmas.

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